New details about security detail the day J.F.K. was shot

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated almost 51 years ago while riding in the presidential limousine in Dallas. It was an event that both shocked and confused the nation.

Since then there have been hundreds of theories about the event. Many still wonder how many times Kennedy was shot, by whom and from where.

But Vanity Fair is bringing to light another question: Could the Secret Service have saved him? The article notes the first shot that hit the president didn't kill him, but within five seconds another bullet pierced his skull:

"The White House Secret Service is famous for its split-second reflexes and for being trained to take a bullet for the commander in chief. Why didn't that happen on November 22?"

It goes on to reveal that nine of the 28 Secret Service men who were with the president that fateful day had been out drinking until the early hours of the morning.

Abraham Bolden, who wrote a book about his time as an agent, told the magazine he believes the late night out contributed to the "lackadaisical response."

"The biggest problem I ran into with the Secret Service when I was an agent was their constant drinking. When we would get to a place one of the first things they would do was stock up with liquor. They would drink and then we would go to work."

After the assassination, the number of agents and budget increased dramatically. And internally, agents' attitudes reportedly shifted.

Vanity Fair explains during the JFK years, long work shifts and partying were common and Kennedy, quote, "was a risk-taker and womanizer, who set a bad example."

But even today, the agency's reputation is struggling.

Earlier this year, the agency ordered stricter rules regarding employee drinking after agents were caught drinking heavily hours before they were supposed to protect President Obama on two separate trips.